Ask a VetIf You've Got a Dog at Home It's Time to Toss the Stash

Dogster

Cocker Spaniel

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Home:Schaumburg, IL

Sex: Female Weight: 26-50 lbs

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Dogster stats for Cinder 3/4/89 - 8/29/04


Stars:

Leave a bone for Cinder 3/4/89 - 8/29/04

Nicknames:
Cinderella, Cin Cin, Cinny, Relly, Relly Belly

Doggie Dynamics:

Energy

sleepy		energetic

Intelligence

silly		genius

Friendliness

aggressive		affectionate

Playfulness

not playful		very playful

Disposition

anxious		calm

Quick Bio:

-purebred

-disabled

-deaf

Birthday:
March 4th 1989

Likes:
Food, she adored, loved food, and she loved to listen to the birds until she lost her hearing at the age of 9, Until she became older, she loved to chase a ball and would play 'fetch' for hours

Pet-Peeves:
Nothing - I don't really think anything ruffled her feathers

Favorite Toy:
Her fleece squeaky Kangaroo - I wish I still had it.

Favorite Food:
She loved everything - especially any table food. She also had a fondness for M&Ms.

Favorite Walk:
In her last year, she would wear a path from the back door to the front door on the sidewalk - she loved that the sidewalk went all the way around the house, and would just go walking on that sidewalk - always staying on the sidewalk, never in the street.

Best Tricks:
Speak, High-5

Arrival Story:
Cinder was a sweet little girl who came into my life at 8 weeks of age - but she wasn't mine at the time. She belonged to my brother. A few years later, he was not investing any time or anything else into their relationship, and she quickly became my dog. He didn't know what he was missing out on, because she was a wonderful dog, the very best. There was not a hint of meanness in her, she was sweet, loving and loyal.

Bio:
Cinder put up with a lot in her life. She lost her best friend, Bambi, when she was 6 years old, only to have a brand new puppy to raise - Tucker. Two years later, Tauri came to live with us and she had to start all over. But she was always patient and sweet natured, and she loved all of her animal companions. Cinder lost her hearing when she was 9 years old. Chronic ear infections - like those that plague many cocker spaniels, -took first one ear, then a few months later, the other one. Her ear canals were removed and her ears sewn shut - it closed out her favorite sound in the world - the birds, which she would sit and listen to for hours in the morning - forever. She adapted well, earning her CGC at the age of 10 after becoming completely deaf. A flashlight was now her "come" signal, and she learned it quickly. When she was about 10 years old, she really started having trouble with her legs. An X-ray revealed the painful truth - Cinder had struggled with hip displaysia in her left leg her whole life. She had stoically carried on, barely even limping - until her right leg just couldn't do it anymore. She had worn away all the cartilage in her right knee because she was compensating for her left hip. Adequan, Glucosamine, MSM, chiropractic and accupuncture all worked together to give her relief, and helped her to continue to soldier on as she had always done. In August of 2003, Cinder was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer. Just a few days later, on September 1, Cinder suffered a massive stroke and was totally paralyzed in her hind legs. I was ready to say goodbye, but she had other ideas. The vet urged me to give her a chance to recover, and reluctantly, I did - taking her outside with a towel underneath her belly to support her completely dead hind-end. For months we walked with a towel supporting her until she began taking tentative steps - she walked again on her own in December of 2003, only 2 months after she had suffered total paralysis, but it was still some time before she could walk completely unaided or go out to the bathroom by herself without the towel supporting her. She was 13 1/2 years old. Cinder continued to fight cancer, but it slowly spread. By August of 2004, it was very clear her fight was ending - she was no longer the beautiful girl she had once been. Her hair had thinned, her eyes were hazy and dry, and she could no longer keep herself from wetting her bed at night because the bladder tumor had grown so large. The cancer spread into her lymph nodes and her abdomen. Cinder stopped eating on August 28, 2004, and she died around 6 AM on August 29, 2004. She waited for the sun to rise one more time before she took her last breath and died peacefully in her bed. She is so missed by everyone who loved her gentle, kind spirit.

Forums Motto:
Gentle Cinderella, a wise old soul

I've Been On Dogster Since:

August 2nd 2005